Sunday Blessing

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways adknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov. 3:5-6

Have a great Sunday!

Chair Re-make

Remember these? A few months ago I was trying to choose a fabric to recover these $7/piece thrift store bargains. :)

Don't they look great?!? I think I am in love.

JCrew copy

This is the look I was going after. Little silk top for $120 at JCrew.

This is the look I got. Simplicity 3742 with silk I got in Bangkok eons ago. A little blue detail on the arm facing..........and a cute neckline. All for nada out of my sewing stash. That certainly works for me. PS It is now in my etsy shop....

Scrabble Phone Charm

In order to differentiate my boring phone from my husband's, I just had to get something cute. I found this phone charm from beinspireddesigns, a fellow etsy artist. She also has lots of other cute-cute stuff, all very unique and at great prices.

Sunday Blessing

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. " (Phil 4:7) Something smart to remember in these times.

Have a great Sunday!

$5 shirt

It always amazes me how much retailers can ask for shirts with a little more than a yard of material. I already had the "Jackie O" pattern and found this Tracy Porter fabric for less than $5. So I headed for my sewing machine. It was getting a little dowdy, so I added a selvage of ticking fabric on the bottom edge (which also meant I didn't have to hem it!).

A little more peeking out from the cuff, and viola, I feel like I beat the system. And, I have a cute shirt.

Mirror as Frame

I had a replica of a really old map of Berlin and didn't know what to do with it. I didn't want to frame it and was running out of wall space. Hmmmm. The mirror in our bedroom was free, so I just tacked it up. I've also seen photos and trinkets tacked around the edges. Anyone else do anything clever with mirrors?

Yarn re-use as Scarf

What to do with extra yarn? I grabbed my stash and started a scarf, stopping and starting when the yarn ran out. The ribbon yarn (of course) is my favorite. It looks like that Christmas ribbon candy all looped over each other. A few extra pieces on the end... and I have a scarf to wear on the 3 days in Florida where I need one!

A Big Day for America

My ESL (English as a Second Language) students had some new vocabulary words today. How exciting to watch the inauguration with university students from Germany, Colombia, France, Uruguay, Spain, Mongolia and Ecuador. I can only imagine how different things are in all of their countries and the impressions they had of this special day in American history. It was an exciting day. Hooray to us with a new President....!

Sunday Blessing

I love my flute, a handmade beauty from an artist who has been crafting flutes for 45 years. What a treat. "Praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute." Psalm 150:4

Have a great Sunday!

Quilt for College

I made a quilt for Stephan when he went off to college 4 years ago. This will be Yannick's when he heads to Flagler College this fall. Sometimes I think I am crazy to send a handmade quilt with a 18 yr. old boy to college; I shudder to think what will spill on it and where it will end up. But it will be a piece of love from home....

Gift Enclosures

This is my collection of gift enclosures....they are anything from leftover clothing tags to re-used art work from Yannick. My favorites come from the dollar store and the sale bins. :) And I attach everything with ribbons!

Birthday Presents

This seems to be my standard birthday present anymore...a little zipper pouch and tissue holder. Pretty soon all of my friends will have 8 each.

But who can't use a tissue case? At least you can find them in your purse.

This one is actually made from my girlfriend's leftover pillow fabric...Ithink she will be surprised. I also love the lush red velvet ribbon and the little grosgrain tab. Just one more use for ribbons! :)

Sunday Blessing

January 11 and we have blossoms on the peach trees in our yard. 'tis another reason why we love Florida. "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:7) Good to know.

Have a great Sunday!

New Happy Bags

I have had lots of fun making some more Happy Bags. I especially love the map fabric. 'thought that'd be great for a school bag. Something a little different to hold the keys....

Then a surprise peeking out from the pockets.

Then I'm ready to go and take on the world.... haha.

Martha Stewart Baker's Twine

Martha Stewart makes this gorgeous twine. I kinda wanna eat it.

Oh the possibilities....I especially like it with simple brown craft paper.

Or with pretty gift tags. These ideas work for me....how do you use twine?

Need for Sweaters!

We will most likely be moving to a colder climate (well, most places are colder than Florida), so I am on a knitting spree. I found this gorgeous acrylic and it is working up quite nicely. But acrylic pills so badly - anyone have a remedy to stop that from happening?

Sunday Blessing

Have you ever heard of prayer beads? Each bead represents something - the little garnet and aquamarine beads are my boys' birthstones and remind me to pray for them. The mixed precious metals on the end is a reflection of my intertwining life in the US and Germany. The other beads hold other special meanings.

2009 will be one of many changes for us and will require much prayer. Two of the boys will graduate (h.school and college), Heiko will be getting a new job and we will be locating, with all that that means. Isn't it comforting to know that, "Great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. " Psalm 117:2

Have a great first Sunday in the new year.